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Tres Borrachos

2

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Arrival at Pimlico photo by Jim McCue/MJC

If Tres Borrachos comes weaving through the Preakness field it would only be right, since the name, in Spanish, means “Three Drunks.”     The horse’s three owners – John Greely IV, Philip Houchens and trainer C. Beau Greely – are hoping for a straight run down the Pimlico stretch right to the wire – ahead of all the others, of course.     Tres Borrachos earned his way into the Preakness with a third-place run in the $1-million Arkansas Derby, but the earnings did not get him into the Top 20 graded-stakes earners heading to the Kentucky Derby. Based in Southern California with trainer Greely, Tres Borrachos has been training at Churchill Downs for the past several weeks.

TRAINER - C. Beau Greely, originally from Lexington, Kentucky now resides in Manhattan Beach, California.     Greely is a fourth-generation horseman and son of John (Bud) Greeley III, who founded Wintergreen Farm, a Thoroughbred nursery in Midway, Ky., about 40 years ago. Beau’s brother, John IV, manages the farm and also is co-owner with Beau of Wintergreen Stallion Station. The station stands Borrego, Century City, Ecton Park, Five Star Day, Honour and Glory and Pollard’s Vision.     Beau Greely has been training on his own since 1997 after serving apprenticeships with trainers Criquette Head in France, Alex Scott in England and Richard Mandella in Southern California. Greeley is based at Hollywood Park.     He follows his father, grandfather and great-grandfather into Thoroughbred training. His forebears all trained at various times for C.V. Whitney, Walmac Farm, Greentree Stable and King Ranch.     He is a 1992 graduate of the University of Kentucky with a degree in sociology.     Topping his list of major runners is Borrego, who won the Pacific Classic and Jockey Club Gold Cup, both million-dollar races, in 2005.     Trainer rang up his first Grade I win in Southern California when Sligo Bay won the 2002 Hollywood Turf Cup at Hollywood Park. His first graded stakes win came in the Grade II American Handicap with Takarian in 1999.     Two other major runners for Greely were the fine sprinter Five Star Day and Manndar, who developed into one of the country’s top turf horses in 2000, winning two Grade I races, including the Woodford Reserve Classic on Kentucky Derby day at Churchill Downs.     The “C” in Greely’s name stands for Christopher.

JOCKEY - Tyler Baze, Born: Oct. 19, 1982 in Seattle, Wash. , now resides in Monrovia.     Baze captured his 1,000th victory on March 11, 2005 at Santa Anita. A member of famed Baze racing family of Pacific Northwest , he grew up hanging around now-defunct Longacres; jockey Gary Baze is his uncle and Hall of Fame and all-time leading rider in victories Russell Baze is a second cousin. Father, Earl, and mother, Cammie, also were jockeys.     He won 2000 Eclipse Award as nation’s top apprentice; led all Southern California-based riders with 246 winners and racked up purse earnings of $7,518,061 for 22nd in the nation and a half-million ahead of his famous cousin. He then came back the next year with 196 victories in his first year as a journeyman. Purse earnings for 2007 totaled $5,367,937, a hair below 2006’s total of $5,663,303. In 2005 earnings were $7,514,326. He also rode a number of stakes winners: Super Strut, Major Success, Mea Domina, Railroad, Cee’s Irish, Time to Honor, Areyoutalkintome, Luvain, Congrats, Sharp Lisa, Star Over the Bay, Indian Breeze, Leave Me Alone, and Leprechaun Kid.     Baze was regular rider for 2004 Kentucky Derby prospect St Averil, who was scratched just before the Run for the Roses because of foot problems. Other top horses ridden: Friendly Michelle, Sabiango, Kela, Our New Recruit, Ever a Friend, Ten Meropa, Divine Legacy and Forest Melody … Has been a frequent rider for Southern California trainers John Sadler, Rafael Becerra, Jeff Mullins and Doug O’Neill.     He finished second in the rider standings for the 2000-2001 Santa Anita meeting behind former all-time winning jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. His first win came at 1999 Oak Tree meeting aboard Fleeting Wonder. Spent the winter 1999-2000 at Turf Paradise and rode 109 winners at the Phoenix, Ariz., oval. Biggest wins so far: 2001 San Luis Obispo Handicap aboard Persianlux, 2001 Will Rogers Handicap with Dr. Park, 2002 California Cup Juvenile and Great State Challenge Juvenile with Crackup and 2002 Forest Hills with Avanzado.     Biggest thrills may have come in 2003 when he rode Avanzado to second place in the $2-million Golden Shaheen in Dubai, losing by three-quarters of a length, and then being out-nodded at the wire by Buddy Gil to lose the Grade I Santa Anita Derby by a nose aboard Indian Express. He chalked up his first Grade I victory when riding Avanzado to the winner’s circle in the 2003 Ancient Title Breeders’ Cup Stakes. A ride in the 2003 Kentucky Derby, where he finished 14th with Indian Express, gave him the same number of Derby rides as cousin Russell. His second ride – aboard the fast-closing fourth-place finisher Don’t Get Mad in 2005 – put him one-up on his cousin.

CO-OWNERS - John Greely IV and Philip Houchens, see co-breeders. C. Beau Greely, see trainer.

CO-BREEDERS - John J. Greely IV, Robert Shapiro and Phil Houchens     John J. Greely IV was born January 24, 1966 in Midway, Ky., and manages Wintergreen Farm there for his father, John (Bud) Greely III. He also is co-owner with his brother, C. Beau Greely, of Wintergreen Stallion Station.     Standing at Wintergreen Stallion are Borrego, Century City, Ecton Park, Five Star Day, Honour and Glory and Pollard’s Vision.     The Greely brothers are fourth-generation horsemen. Their father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all trainers. Bud Greeley established Wintergreen Farm about 40 years ago.     John IV owns parts of 27 horses, including seven in training. He is a 1989 graduate of the University of Kentucky with a degree in sociology. He worked with trainers MacKenzie Miller and Tom Proctor, as well as Criquette Head in France and Alex Scott in England.     Philip Houchens has been involved in breeding as a partner with John Greely IV since 1995. They have 10 broodmares in their band, and they are all kept at the Greely family farm, Wintergreen Farm near Midway, Ky.     Houchens and John Greely go back to their days at the University of Kentucky, where they both majored in sociology and were fraternity brothers. Houchens, born May 16, 1967 in Petersburg, Va., was at UK from 1985-90. Since his graduation, Houchens has been involved in the construction side of the wireless telephone industry in Greenville, S.C.     He is single.     Robert Shapiro owns and operates an investment advisory firm in New York City, where he also lives.     He has been involved in Thoroughbred breeding for some time, including breeding partnerships with John Greely IV of Wintergreen Stallion Station.